It defied logic for the University of Maine’s hockey team to earn four out of a possible six points at Providence College this past weekend.
On Friday night, the fifth-ranked Black Bears erased three one-goal deficits against the seventh-ranked Friars to emerge with a 3-3 tie, and then picked up the extra Hockey East point by winning the shootout 1-0 on a Sully Scholle goal.
In Hockey East, teams receive three points for a win in regulation and two for a win in overtime or the shootout while the overtime or shootout loser picks up one point.
On Saturday night, the Black Bears gifted the Friars not only one five-minute power play, but two of them.
And they still triumphed 1-0 in overtime.
UMaine limited Providence to a total of six shots on goal while shorthanded for those 10 minutes, and the Black Bears didn’t allow any shots during a two-minute Friars power play.
The Black Bears have continued to struggle to score goals since the Christmas break, producing just 24 goals in the 11 games. And they haven’t scored more than three goals in any of those games.
But they have held opposing teams to 21 goals.
As a result, they have gone 6-3-2 in those 11 games and are 6-1-2 over the last nine.
UMaine has a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2) thanks to UMass transfer Taylor Makar and sophomore goalie Albin Boija.
Senior left wing Makar has scored seven of the 12 goals during the unbeaten streak and has all three game-winners, along with the tying goal with 2:04 remaining in regulation in the 3-3 tie at Providence.
Boija has registered a 1.54 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage during the five games and made a highlight-reel glove save in the last minute of the 3-2 victory over UMass.
He had 28 saves vs. Providence on Saturday after making 29 stops on Friday.
UMaine was outshot 32-30 on Friday and 28-20 on Saturday.
UMaine head coach Ben Barr called the second period of Friday night’s game against Providence one of the team’s worst of the season. Providence outshot UMaine 13-4.
But one thing good teams do is stay within striking distance even when they are getting outplayed.
Providence scored the only goal in that period to make it 2-1. But the deficit could have been two or three goals and the result would have been a probable Providence win.
Makar tied it while the Black Bears were shorthanded in the third period and, following a Friars power play goal, UMaine tied it again after Barr pulled Boija in favor of the extra attacker.
UMaine’s 18-5-4 record is the program’s best over its first 27 games since the 2003-04 team. That Black Bears squad went 20-6-1 en route to a berth in the NCAA championship game against Denver in Boston. Denver won 1-0.
The UMaine power play went 0-for-7 vs. Providence over the weekend and now finds itself in a hard-to-fathom 1-for-29 drought over the last nine games.
The Black Bears have scored more shorthanded goals, two, than power play goals in this stretch.
The power play has to get back on track at some time, doesn’t it?
Up next for UMaine is arch-rival New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. at the Alfond Arena in Orono.
UMaine is in second place in Hockey East with its 10-3-4 league record. The Black Bears are two points behind Boston College and four ahead of third-place Boston University.
UNH is in last place with its 3-11-2 mark to go with its overall record of 11-12-3.
While UMaine has gone 6-1-2 in its last nine games, UNH has gone 1-8 in its previous nine.
Four of those losses were by a goal.
UMaine will have its hands full, not only because UNH is its biggest rival, but because UNH is a desperate team and will be playing with a strong sense of urgency.
UNH is in danger of not making the NCAA Tournament, and will be hosting the Manchester, New Hampshire, regional.
And the road doesn’t get easier for UNH after this weekend as it finishes up with home-and-home series vs. UMass, Boston College and UMass Lowell.
A win or two in Orono could restore the Wildcats’ confidence and could jumpstart a productive stretch run.
